This document discusses social justice in libraries through three themes: 1. Social Justice in Our Leadership discusses the American Library Association's history of advocating for social justice and diversity, though it took many years after the organization's founding to have women and racial minorities in leadership roles. 2. Contemporary Social Justice Issues looks at how librarians have advocated on the ground for issues like HIV/AIDS, apartheid, and responses to war and terrorism. It also discusses challenges with community engagement. 3. Moving Forward debates whether librarians should take an activist role or remain neutral, and how to balance intellectual freedom with social responsibility. It questions what authentic activism within the profession might look like.

1. Catching Up to the Present
Jen Clark, Adam Paradis, Melissa Cardenas-Dow

2. Catching Up to the Present
Three Themes:
•
•
•
Social Justice in Our Leadership | Jen Clark
o American Libraries Association as an advocate for Social
Justice
Contemporary Social Justice Issues | Adam Paradis
o Librarians on the Ground
Moving Forward | Melissa Cardenas-Dow
o The Role of the Librarian, or, Should we be activists?

3. Social Justice in Our Leadership
American Libraries Association as an advocate
for Social Justice
--Jen Clark

4. Social Justice in our Leadership:
A look back at ALA’s history of “diversity”
•
Beginnings
o 1853 or 1876?
o Charter of 1879
•
Major Diversity Milestones
1911
1st Woman President
(Theresa West Elmendorf)
35 years after women
attended the 1st
conference
1921
1st African-American Speaker
(Thomas Fountain Blue)
16 years after he was
chosen to lead his
library
1921
1st Round Table for Diversity
Disbanded under
pressure after 2 years
1956
1st Integrated Conference
35 years after 1st
speaker
1976
1st African-American President
(Clara Stanton Jones)
55 years after 1st
speaker and 20 years
after 1st integrated
conference

5. Social Justice in our Leadership:
A look back at ALA’s history of “diversity”
•
Beginnings
o 1853 or 1876?
o Charter of 1879
•
Major Diversity Milestones
1911
1st Woman President
(Theresa West Elmendorf)
35 years after women
attended the 1st
conference
1921
1st African-American Speaker
(Thomas Fountain Blue)
16 years after he was
chosen to lead his
library
1921
1st Round Table for Diversity
Disbanded under
pressure after 2 years
1956
1st Integrated Conference
35 years after 1st
speaker
1976
1st African-American President
(Clara Stanton Jones)
55 years after 1st
speaker and 20 years
after 1st integrated
conference

6. Social Justice in our Leadership:
ALA’s current policies & missions
•
•
Mission
o “... in order to enhance
learning and ensure access to
information for all.”
Action Area of Diversity
o “... reflected in its commitment
to recruiting people of color
and people with
disabilities to the profession
... and services for all people.”
● Workplace Discrimination
○ “Denied employment rights or
discriminated against on the basis
of gender, sexual orientation,
race, color, creed, age,
disability, or place of
national origin...”
● Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and
Transgender (GLBT) Round Table
○ “committed to serving the
information needs of the GLBT
professional... community, and
the GLBT information and access
needs of individuals at large...”

7. Social Justice in our Leadership:
ALA’s demographics
•
58 ALA-accredited MLS
programs
o “the philosophy, principles,
and ethics of the field”
o “the role of [LIS] in a
diverse...society, including
... the needs of underserved
groups”

8. Social Justice in our Leadership:
ALA’s 1992 American Libraries Cover
“What is ALA doing to represent the conservative
librarians who come from and practise strong JudeoChristian moral standards, and who adhere to a positive
woman (not feminist) outlook?”
“And even though most members may be atheist, agnostic,
‘New Age,’ nominally Christian or Jewish, or otherwise, there
are a number of members who are religious, in a deeply
committed sense... We are a minority now”
“Your cover helps with the impression that the profession is open
to all types of peoples...but it doesn't further our profession
as a part of mainstream America”
“I must stand with the few principled people who remain.
Since ALA now supports the immoral, I must disassociate
myself.”

9. Social Justice in our Leadership:
Discussion
•
Can an organization with the demographics and institutional
history of the ALA be an effective agent of social justice? What
would this top down social justice model look like?
•
Is ALA doing enough? Why or why not?
•
What can the ALA do to change the power dynamics?

10. Contemporary Social Justice Issues
Librarians on the Ground
--Adam Paradis

11. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
Contemporary Activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
circa 1982-HIV/AIDS
1948-1994-Apartheid in South Africa
1991-Persian Gulf War
2001 & 2006- USA PATRIOT Act
2002-E-Government
2004-Social Media, Global & Local Community
And so many more

12. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
HIV/AIDS - Librarian Advocacy
Library Journal, January 1993:
There are three things that are
absolutely true:
1. AIDS is preventable
2. Access to information =
the difference between dying of AIDS vs.
living with HIV
3. Librarians can and should
provide that access

13. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
HIV/AIDS - Censorship
● LJ Against censorship: realize the
value of the information while
considering the sources (gov. docs or
support groups); providing the
information is key
● LJ Against censorship: because of the
value of the information, avoid
imposing personal beliefs, language,
and standards on others.
● Reflexivity

14. Contemporary HIV/AIDS Advocacy
•
Philadelphia FIGHT and
the AIDS Library

15. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
Apartheid in South Africa
•
•
•
South African Book Ban
The Association of American Publishers
“The Universal Right to Free
Expression”

16. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
Institutionalization of Activism
•
•
•
•
Nearly 20 years since the
‘end’ of South African
Apartheid
Verne Harris, Apartheidera activists
Activist identity crisis
Reflexivity

17. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
Persian Gulf War & War on Terror
•
•
Advocacy v.
Neutrality
USA PATRIOT
Act

18. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
USA PATRIOT ACT
•
•
•
•
•
Social Justice and Inter-Governmental
Information Sharing?
ALA’s Positions & Limits to FBI
Freedom of Association
Chilling Effect
‘Terrorism’

19. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
Independent Libraries
Case Study:
•
The Read/Write Library
o Community cataloging
o Drupal catalog
o Local/micro collection: Chicago-based collections policy
o Community Focused/Run
 Whose community?
o Gentrification, Neighborhoods, Service
o Grants, Partnerships, Non-profit industrial complex

20. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
Communities & Service
•
•
Social Media, the Internet, and Outreach
o Tumblr, pinterest, youtube and community involvement
o Sharing resources (e.g. NEIU)
Whom do we serve?
o Expanded sense of community
o Gentrification and ‘community engagement’ and
misalignment
o Reflexivity

21. Contemporary Social Justice Issues:
Other Important Issues
•
•
•
•
•
1988-Resolution on Access to the Use of Libraries and
Information by Individuals with Physical or Mental
Impairment
Technological Literacy
Urban Libraries Council and Curbing Youth Violence
Neo-liberalization of public services
Gender and Sexual Diversity
o Coverage now vs. 1992 Library Journal

22. Questions
•
•
•
What new ills plague libraries?
How do emerging technologies influence the
types of activisims we can engage vis-a-vis
the library?
Provide examples of social justice issues you
have faced as an information professional.

23. Moving Forward
The Role of the Librarian, or, Should we be
activists?
--Melissa Cardenas-Dow

24. Moving Forward:
Librarianship - Roles and Identities
Gall, E. (n.d.). Importance of action and activism. In The atlas of new librarianship:
Companion Site. Retrieved from:
http://www.newlibrarianship.org/wordpress/?page_id=649

25. Moving Forward:
Library Neutrality, Professionalism, and Political Activism
•
•
•
Professionalism
Political Activism
Library Neutrality, Objectivity
“But once they decide to do their jobs, institutional exigencies
overwhelm personal volition.” -- Gude, S. (n.d.). The bad kind of unionism.
Jacobin, 13.
Retrieved from: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/01/the-bad-kind-of-unionism

26. Moving Forward:
“Should we be activists?” -- Discussion
•
•
Considering the tensions we have seen between
tenets of intellectual freedom and social
responsibility, what stance do we take as a
profession?
Are there trappings to activism at a professional
scale? What might authentic activism look like
within the library & information profession?